Editing Eyak language (section)

==Morphology==
Eyak is an [[Agglutinative language|agglutinative]], [[Polysynthetic language|polysynthetic]] language.

===Nouns===
With few exceptions, Eyak nouns are morphophonemically invariable. Kinship and anatomical stems are the only noun stems that may take pronominal possessive prefixes, which are as follow:
* First person singular: ''si- (siya:q’e’'', "my aunt [mother's sister]")
* Second person singular: ''’i-'' (''’ita:’'', "your (sg.) father")
* Third person singular and plural: ''’u-''
* First person plural: ''qa:-''
* Second person plural: ''lAX-''
* [[Indefinite pronoun|Indefinite]]: ''k’u-''
* [[Reciprocal pronoun|Reciprocal]]: ''’Ad-''

===Preverbals===

Preverbals in Eyak are the category of words made up of [[preverb]]als and [[Preposition and postposition|postpositions]]. The two are grouped together because one morpheme may often be used as the stem in both categories. Preverbals are individual words that occur in conjunction with the verb. These combinations may almost be said to form [[lexeme]]s, especially due to the fact that preverbals are rarely if ever used in isolation in natural speech. Preverbals are nearly always [[Bound morpheme|unbound]] and are phonologically separate from the verb, contrasting with the corresponding class in Athabaskan which may be [[Incorporation (linguistics)|incorporated]] or not. One preverbal is most common, but combinations of two are equally possible, as in ''’uya’ ’Adq’Ach’ k’udAdAGu’'' "hot water bottle" (in it onto self something/someone is kept warm). There are more than 100 Eyak basic preverbal morphemes.

Postpositions relate directly to an object outside of the verb. Current analysis by Krauss has been phonological rather than semantic, but there is at least one semantically grouped category of postpositions to consider, that of comparatives. This grouping includes P-'''ga’''' "like P", P-'''’u’X''' "less than P", and P-'''lAX''' "more than P" where P is any postpositional phrase. Eyak lacks conjunctions and many postpositions assume a similar function, creating [[Dependent clause|subordinate clauses]]. These postpositions attach to the verb, the most common example being -'''da:X''' "and" or "if, when".

===Verbs===
Eyak [[Word stem|verb stems]] take many affixes: there are nine [[prefix]] positions before the verb (many of which may be subdivided) and four [[suffix]] positions after. All positions may be filled with zero, except the stem, which can be filled by any of several hundred morphemes but not zero.

====Affix position====
# Object
## Direct object: '''xu''' (1 sg.), '''’i''' (2 sg.), ø~'''A''' (3 sg. and pl.), '''lAXi:''' (2 pl.), '''’Ad'''('''A''')~'''’Ad'''('''u''') ([[Reflexive pronoun|reflexive]]), '''’i'''~'''’i(dA)''' (indeterminate)
## Indefinite subject or object: '''k’u’'''
##* The indeterminate is used where there is no specific object (such as in intransitive verbs), while the indefinite is used where there is a specific but unspecified subject or object. 
## Mark of [[Transitivity (grammar)|semitransitive]]: '''’'''~''':'''
# [[Tense–aspect–mood|Tense/aspect/mood]] A ([[Inchoative aspect|inceptive imperfect]]): '''qu’'''~'''qa’'''~'''qe’'''~'''qi’''' 
# '''’i:lih''' ~ ''':lih'''
#* This position is filled only in a few verbs of thought or emotion, such as '''ilih'''
# Plurality emphasizer: '''qA''' (subject ''and'' object)
# Classificatory (nominal) and thematic (verbal) qualifiers: the most variable and characteristically Eyak affix position. '''gu''', '''XA''', '''lAXA''', '''dA''', '''yA''', and '''lA''' may occur singly, the rest occur in combinations of two or three. 
## '''GA, gu'''
## '''XA'''
## '''qi:''', '''lAXA''', '''ti:''', '''ku:n''', '''k’ush''', '''tsin''', '''tsi:'''
## '''dA''', '''yA'''
## '''lA'''~''':n'''
#* Only in position C. do the morphemes have specified meaning, and only nominally, for example: '''lAXA''', "berry-like, ball-like, eye" or '''qi:''' + '''dA''' "foot". The other morphemes have unlimited, much broader meanings, but tend to concentrate in certain areas. They may be nominal classificatory or verbal thematic. 
#** '''gu'''+'''lA''' is nominally classificatory and refers to liquid or viscous matter; when '''gu''' appears by itself it refers nominally to basket-roots, thread, or hair, (but not rope), as well as thematically with -'''L'''-'''qu''', "chase". 
#** '''XA'''+'''dA''' may nominally refer to matches or logs (but not sticks) or to clouds, among others. '''dA''' alone thematically refers to an unusually broad selection including but not limited to hunger, sleds, arrows, noises (only certain types), and non-solid round objects (including eggs, severed heads, and hearts). 
#** This is a very limited sampling of the breadth of the meanings of the possible morphemes in position 5. 
# Tense/aspect/mood B1: '''GA''', ø ~ '''A''', ''':''' ~ '''A'''
# Subject: '''xw''' (1 sg.), ø ~ '''y'''('''i''') (2 sg.), '''lAX''' (2 pl.), ø (all else)
# Tense/aspect/mood B2: ''sA ~ s'' ([[Perfective aspect|perfective]]), ('''y''')'''i''' ~ ø (inconclusive function)
# [[Voice (grammar)|Verb voice]] classifier: ø, '''dA'''~'''di''', '''L''', '''LA'''~'''Li'''
# Verb stem

# [[Derivation (linguistics)|Derivational]]: '''g''' ([[Habitual aspect|habitual action]]), '''X''' ~ ø ([[Continuous and progressive aspects|progressive]])
# [[Grammatical aspect|Aspectival]]: '''L''' ([[Perfective aspect|perfective]]); Derivational: '''k’''' (customary)
# [[Affirmative and negative|Negative]]: '''G'''
# Human subject or object of third person: '''inh''' (sg.), '''inu:''' (pl.); non-human object of [[Imperative mood|imperative]]: '''uh'''

An artificial but grammatical example presents near-maximum affixal positions filled: '''dik’ lAXi:qAqi’dAxsLXa’Xch’gLG''' "I did not tickle your (plural, emphatically) feet." This gives:
* '''dik’''', negative particle
* Prefix position 1: '''lAXi:''', direct object, you pl. 
* Position 4: '''qA''', emphasizing plurality
* Positions 5C & D: '''qi’''' + '''dA''', pertaining to feet
* Position 6: ø, negative active perfective 
* Position 7: '''x''', 1st pers. sg. subject
* Position 8: '''s''', perfective
* Position 9: '''L'''
* Stem: '''Xa’Xch’''', tickle
* Suffix position 1: '''g''', repetitive
* Position 2: '''L''', perfective
* Position 3: '''G''', negative

====Tense, mood, and aspect====

There are two moods, [[Optative mood|optative]] and [[Imperative mood|imperative]], and two aspects, [[Perfective aspect|perfective]] and [[Imperfective aspect|imperfective]]. Verbs may be [[Inchoative aspect|inceptive]], 'active,' or 'neuter', such that the possibilities are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Inceptive !! Active !! Neuter
|-
! Perfective
| is doing, is becoming || did, became || is
|-
! Imperfective
| will do, will become || is doing || is
|-
! Optative
| let it do, let it become || let it do || let it become
|-
! Imperative
| let it do!, let it become! || let it do! || let it be!
|}

Morphemes in prefix position 2 modify the inceptive imperfective; in position 6 the perfective, optative, and imperative in inceptive, active and neuter; in position 8 the inceptive optative, active perfective and optative, and neuter perfective, imperfective, optative, and imperative; in suffix position 2 the inceptive, active, and neuter perfective; and in suffix position 3, negativity.

There are also three [[Derivation (linguistics)|derivational]] modes, a repetitive, a customary, and a progressive. The infinitive takes approximately the same form as the imperative, with some variation.